Cleveland Browns looking at free agent QB Vince Young

Cleveland Browns: The NFL franchise hasn't reached the playoffs since 2002. Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young is visiting the Cleveland Browns this week.

Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer/AP

Cleveland Browns general manager Ray Farmer answers questions at a news conference at the NFL football team's headquarters in Berea, Ohio, Monday, April 28, 2014. Farmer talked about the upcoming draft as well as confirming the team's interest in two quarterbacks, Vince Young and Tyler Thigpen.

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April 28, 2014

By Tom WithersAssociated Press

Berea, Ohio

As they contemplate choosing a quarterback early in the upcoming draft, the Browns will take a look at a former first-round pick.

Free agent quarterback Vince Young is taking a physical with the team Monday and is expected to participate in Cleveland's minicamp this week. Browns general manager Ray Farmer said the team has been tracking Young, who hasn't played in an NFL regular-season game since 2011 with Philadelphia. He has spent parts of the past two offseasons with Buffalo and Green Bay.

Young, selected third overall by Tennessee in 2006, is 31-19 as a starter.

"Our interest in Vince is that he's been productive and he's had success in the National Football League," Farmer said at a predraft news conference. "We wanted to take the opportunity to get a chance to see where he was. We've been kind of following him through the offseason and he had been doing some things that kind of caught our eye and made us kind of take note and we wanted to see what that looked like in his own time frame."

Farmer said the Browns are also bringing in Tyler Thigpen, who last played for Buffalo in 2012.

The Browns need to add a veteran to back up Brian Hoyer, who is penciled in as the starter heading into this season but is coming off knee surgery. Other than Hoyer, the only quarterback on Cleveland's roster is Alex Tanney, who was signed late last season as the Browns were hit hard by injuries at quarterback.

Both Young and Thigpen are mobile, and Farmer said that's an important quality in new coordinator Kyle Shanahan's offense.

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"They both are very good athletes," Farmer said. "They both have had relative success — I know Vince you would easily say probably more than Tyler. That's a good piece. I think Kyle would tell you that he likes a quarterback that is mobile. The offense definitely is going to require the quarterback to do different things, play outside the pocket to some degree."

The Browns own the No. 4 and No. 26 overall picks in next week's draft, and it's possible they could use either of them on a quarterback such as Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel or Teddy Bridgewater.

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